This Day of Days
by Laura W
Summary: On this day of days, we celebrate love. A moment from the "Time On My Hands" universe, inspired by, of all things, the Supreme Court of the United States. J/C, P/T, others.


NOTE: I was…inspired. Enjoy.

I can't remember if the planet had a moon, and if it did, if it was bright that night.

It's funny. I remember the texture of the sand under my feet, the color of the sunset, the sound of the waves lapping against the shore. But if there was a moon, I don't remember it.

I was pretty preoccupied, I guess.

I'd gone to the Commander a couple months before to ask his advice about the matter, and I remember that day very well. I was nervous about it, first of all. He'd known Philicia since she was a kid, and who was I? A 'Fleet brat who'd been unlucky enough to be thrown halfway across the galaxy when the Captain destroyed the array. I'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Or so I thought, until I met Philicia. And _that's_ a day I will never forget.

She was…rough around the edges. A lot of the Maquis were at first, but she was one of the more noticeably rough. Tall and beautiful, statuesque, even, with glossy black hair she wore in one long braid and the flintiest eyes I had ever seen. Assistant Chief Carey introduced us.

"Lieutenant, this is Philicia Longfish. She had some experience working the transporters on the Commander's ship, so she's been assigned to the cargo transporter unit for now. I'd like you to show her the ropes."

"Yes, sir," I mumbled. I was already smitten. I spent the whole afternoon walking Philicia through the cargo transporter protocols and falling in love with her eyes and her voice and the set of her jaw. By the end of the shift, I knew I was going to marry her someday. She just didn't know it yet.

It took me almost a year to convince her that she could even _trust_ me. A lot of the former Maquis were like that. Wary and jaded. They'd been through a lot, some of them, from the destruction of their homeworlds and the murder of their families to unspeakable personal horrors. It took a long time for some of them to understand that they were safe on _Voyager_ , and safe with _us_. Even Chief Torres took a few _years_ to come around enough for Lieutenant Paris to even have a chance.

Philicia was no different. So it took a year to get to the first date, and another two months to get to the first kiss. But oh, was it worth it….that kiss, and everything that came after it.

I knew right away that Philicia Longfish was my one and only, my soulmate, my North Star.

That's why I found myself standing outside the Commander's office in the middle of Beta shift one day, wiping my sweaty hands on my uniform. It was four years into our journey, not long after our run-in with the Hirogen. We all came so close to losing each other during that time that I had decided it was now or never. Life was just too fragile out there, every day too precious to take for granted.

So I rang the Commander's chime and he welcomed me into the room. He was sitting at his desk with a PADD in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. "What can I do for you today, Lieutenant?" he asked.

I shuffled my feet. "I'm here with a…personal matter, sir."

He put down the PADD. "Have a seat."

"Yes, sir." I sat very stiffly for a moment. "I'm not sure how to say this, sir."

"Is there a problem, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir. I mean, _no, sir_. I mean…"

The Commander cocked his head to one side. "There's no need to be nervous. My rule has always been that what's said in this office stays in this office, unless you intend to do harm to yourself or someone else."

My eyes must have bugged out. "Of course not, sir!"

He smiled. "Then let's start small. You're here on a personal matter."

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"A good personal matter, or a challenging one?"

"A good one. At least I hope so."

He rubbed his chin. "Is it…a matter involving another person?"

I felt my cheeks redden. "It is, sir."

He clasped his hands on the desk and stared at me with those knowing brown eyes of his. "We're all we have out here, Lieutenant," he began in his deep, quiet voice. "It's perfectly normal to want to get closer to someone."

It occurred to me that this was probably a speech he'd made a few times before, so I held up a hand to stop him. "We're already closer," I said. "We've been seeing each other for two years. I came here today to ask your advice about…proposing to her."

He blinked rapidly for a few seconds. I gathered that he was surprised; I had sort of a reputation for being…cold. I'd heard it through the grapevine more than once and just shrugged it off. That was my business and no one else's. Philicia and I had kept our relationship pretty quiet and private, too. Our dates were usually just the two of us on the Holodeck or in quarters, and even though we rarely spent our nights alone we kept separate quarters, unlike some of the other _Voyager_ couples.

"I see," the Commander said. "I'm not sure I'm the best person to talk to. I've never actually proposed to anyone. So maybe you'd be better off talking to one of your married colleagues."

I shook my head. "That's not why I came to you. I'm here because the person I want to propose to is Philicia Longfish."

He leaned back in his chair…and a slow, sly grin crossed his face. "So _you're_ the one."

I found myself smiling, too. "Yes, sir."

"Philicia is…she's very happy, Lieutenant. I haven't known her to be this happy since she was a little girl, and definitely not since the destruction of her colony."

I sat forward in my chair. "I love her, sir. With everything that I am. She's the only thing that keeps me going out here. I would take away every hurt she's ever suffered if I could, but the best I can do is be her shelter here. Her shelter, her champion, her best friend, her partner in all things. I thought being stranded in the Delta Quadrant was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, but it turns out that it was the best, because as improbable as it is, we found each other here. We lost everything, but we gained each other." I swallowed hard. "I love her, and I want to marry her. But I don't know how to ask her."

The Commander was silent for a long moment. In retrospect, I think I know what was going through his mind, but it was only years later that I would have my suspicions confirmed. "I don't have any experience with this," he said again. "But I know Philicia, and I know how happy you've made her. I also know love when I see it." His voice became rough-edged in a way I'd never heard it before. "Just tell her, Lieutenant. Tell her everything that you told me, and I think you'll be on the right course."

I bit my lip. "Do you think so?"

He nodded. "Absolutely."

"Thank you, sir."

He stood up. "If there's nothing else?"

I rose, too. "Just one other thing. I think Philicia would probably prefer getting married under an open sky, maybe somewhere that reminds her of her home. But I was never there. So I was wondering…"

He smiled, but there was a sadness in it. "I'll be on the lookout, Lieutenant."

"Very good, sir," I said, and started to turn, but he stopped me half a second later.

"And Lieutenant," he said, very softly.

"Sir?"

"You are…" He gave his head a small shake. "You're very fortunate. You've found someone you love so much that you're willing to declare a private promise and seal it with a public vow."

I didn't quite know what to say, so I just stood there. He glanced out the viewport and then back at me. "Congratulations. And please accept all my hopes for your future."

"Thank you, sir," I said, and bolted from the office.

And Philicia…she said "yes."

We were married two short months later on a sandy beach where the sunset over the ocean was the color of Carolina Wild Petunias in full bloom. The Captain and the Commander performed the ceremony together to honor both our customs. I remember that we were all out of uniform and barefoot. The Captain recited the 'Love is patient' passage from Corinthians, and the Commander recited a blessing that Philicia found in the ship's database. It wasn't from her tribe, but it was beautiful nevertheless, and I will never forget it:

 _Now you will feel no rain,_  
 _for each of you will be shelter for the other._  
 _Now you will feel no cold,_  
 _for each of you will be warmth to the other._  
 _Now there will be no loneliness,_  
 _for each of you will be companion to the other._  
 _Now you are two persons,_  
 _but there is only one life before you._  
 _May beauty surround you both in the_  
 _journey ahead and through all the years,_  
 _May happiness be your companion and_  
 _your days together be good and long upon the earth._

I remember everything about that day. I remember the way the setting sun glinted off the ring I placed on Philicia's finger and the way the ocean breeze lifted the hem of her dress. I remember looking at Philicia and realizing that no matter what else happened to us in the Delta Quadrant, my life was complete, because she loved me.

I remember the way the Captain and Commander looked at each other and smiled. I remember the way the Captain stepped forward and said, "It's another joyful day for us, my friends, for on this day of days, we celebrate love. May I present to you for the first time: Philicia and Sue Nicoletti-Longfish."

I remember laughing when Tom Paris shouted, "What a mouthful!"

The Captain frowned at him. "Be civil, Thomas _Eugene_ Paris," she called.

I remember Lieutenant Paris shouting an apology and then proposing the first toast.

I remember Harry and the Kimtones playing our favorite songs from a bandstand set up on the beach, and I remember dancing with all of my friends. I remember watching the Captain and Commander watch each other, and I remember feeling sad for just a moment, even though I didn't quite know why.

I remember everything about that evening…except the moon. I can't remember if there was a moon that night, because I only had eyes for my wife.

Today, though. Today there is a moon.

It's still just early evening, but the moon is already hanging big and bright over the water, sharing sky with the sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico. We are gathered together once more on the sand, all of us _Voyagers,_ to celebrate love again at this, the first wedding among us since our return.

My wife slips her hand into mine. "This is a beautiful place," she says. "I've always loved it here."

"I'm glad they chose to have it here," I reply, and turn with the rest of the guests when the string quartet begins to play.

The bride arrives on the arm of Commander Tuvok. She is more lovely than I ever could have imagined, and happier. I remember Philicia being just as radiant on our wedding day. I glance over at the groom, and wonder if I looked as shocked by and grateful for his luck as he does in this moment.

Tuvok leads the bride among us and she smiles at us all. When she reaches her groom, she stretches up on tiptoe to give Commander Tuvok a kiss on the cheek. Tuvok shakes hands with the groom, and then places her hand in the groom's and withdraws.

The smile they share...

It's been a long time coming, that smile. I see wonder in it, and gratitude, and relief. I see grief, too, for the feelings they set aside in order to stay focused on their mission, but it's tempered with wisdom and tenderness. I see hope for a future they once didn't dare to imagine.

But most of all, I see love. So much love.

For this is a joyful occasion, this wedding of the Admiral and the Captain, and on this day of days, we celebrate love.

-END-

 _June 26, 2015_

 _On this day of days, we celebrate love._


End file.
